editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Jeff Lunden is a freelance arts reporter and producer whose stories have been heard on NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition, as well as on other public radio programs. Lunden contributed several segments to the Peabody Award-winning series The NPR 100 , and was producer of the NPR Music series Discoveries at Walt Disney Concert Hall , hosted by Renee Montagne. He has produced more than a dozen documentaries on musical theater and Tin Pan Alley for NPR — most recently A Place for Us: Fifty Years of West Side Stor y. Other documentaries have profiled George and Ira Gershwin, Stephen Sondheim, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, Lorenz Hart, Harold Arlen and Jule Styne. Lunden has won several awards, including the Gold Medal from the New York Festival International Radio Broadcasting Awards and a CPB Award. Lunden is also a theater composer. He wrote the score for the musical adaptation of Arthur Kopit's Wings (book and lyrics by Arthur Perlman), which won theNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Jeff LundenSat, 23 Dec 2017 08:05:33 +0000Jeff Lundenhttp://kanw.com
Jeff LundenCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: A major figure in the classical music world, conductor Charles Dutoit, has been accused of sexual misconduct in an article published yesterday by the Associated Press. Since then, several major symphony orchestras have ended their relationships with him. Jeff Lunden has this report. JEFF LUNDEN, BYLINE: The AP detailed accounts from three opera singers and a classical musician of unwanted sexual aggressions by the now-81-year-old conductor. The incidents occurred between 1985 and 2010. Paula Rasmussen is one of the singers interviewed. When she was 26, she was given a principal role with the LA Opera in a production conducted by Dutoit. Just before the final dress rehearsal, she was paged to his dressing room. They spoke about the opera. Then she turned to leave. PAULA RASMUSSEN: And he was right behind me and forced me up against the door, grabbed my hand, put it down his pants and kissed me. LUNDEN: She says she spoke withFamed Conductor Charles Dutoit Faces Allegations Of Sexual Misconducthttp://kanw.com/post/famed-conductor-charles-dutoit-faces-allegations-sexual-misconduct
97581 as http://kanw.comFri, 22 Dec 2017 21:34:00 +0000Famed Conductor Charles Dutoit Faces Allegations Of Sexual MisconductJeff LundenWe Shall Not Be Moved is a new opera that takes its name from both the old spiritual-turned-civil-rights anthem and the Philadelphia black liberation group, MOVE. That group might be best-remembered for a 1985 tragedy: A police helicopter bombed the MOVE house, and the resulting fire killed 11 people and destroyed 62 homes in the neighborhood. The opera, presented by Opera Philadelphia with the Apollo Theater, had its world premiere Sept. 16. It revisits that house and its ghosts, while remaining centered on stories about young people in Philadelphia today. Librettist Marc Bamuthi Joseph says that even though the events of the MOVE bombing happened more than 32 years ago, they still haunt the citizens of Philadelphia. "I've heard one person say that the bombing of the MOVE house was like a Sept. 11 event for, you know, people in the city of Philly," he says, "that they'll always remember where they were, and they experienced a collective trauma." So, he and his collaborators — composer'We Shall Not Be Moved': A New Opera Traces The Legacy Of The 1985 MOVE Bombinghttp://kanw.com/post/we-shall-not-be-moved-new-opera-traces-legacy-1985-move-bombing
93327 as http://kanw.comSun, 17 Sep 2017 21:56:00 +0000'We Shall Not Be Moved': A New Opera Traces The Legacy Of The 1985 MOVE BombingJeff LundenCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: One of the ingredients a successful Broadway show needs is a talented cast. That starts with talented casting directors, the people who can see a Tony-winning star in the making, say, when a performer walks into an audition as a college student named Audra McDonald. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSICAL, "CAROUSEL") AUDRA MCDONALD: (Singing) His name is Mister Snow, and an upstanding man is he. SHAPIRO: Casting directors are essential to New York's theater industry. They are not represented by a union or guild, though. Jeff Lunden reports they are trying to change that, and producers are pushing back. JEFF LUNDEN, BYLINE: Cindy Tolan has been working in New York and Hollywood for three decades, and she says it's time for Broadway producers to give a little back. CINDY TOLAN: Broadway grossed $1.5 billion last year, and it's the highest in history. And we are 40 casting directors, 40 people who want health insurance and a pension. And you know,Casting Directors On Broadway Seek To Unionizehttp://kanw.com/post/casting-directors-broadway-seek-unionize
92846 as http://kanw.comMon, 04 Sep 2017 20:50:00 +0000Casting Directors On Broadway Seek To UnionizeJeff Lundenhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WOwWjwm-QY Russian, American and French ballet dancers are gathering Thursday night for a bit of cultural diplomacy at New York City's Lincoln Center. They're celebrating the 50th anniversary of George Balanchine's masterpiece Jewels, considered the first full-length, nonnarrative ballet. Jewels is in three acts, each named for a gem and each with a different choreographic style, representing different periods in Balanchine's life. It's been a signature piece for the New York City Ballet since its premier in 1967. "I don't think Balanchine will ever feel dated to me," says Megan Fairchild, who has been dancing one of the leading roles for a decade. "Especially something as jazzy as [the movement] 'Rubies' — you're off balance, your hips are out, you're, you know, throwing yourself around in extreme positions. It couldn't get any more modern to me ... and then, at the same time, it's still really pure ballet." Pure ballet is the key here — there are no3 Top Ballet Companies Convene For The Golden Anniversary Of 'Jewels'http://kanw.com/post/3-top-ballet-companies-convene-golden-anniversary-jewels
90893 as http://kanw.comThu, 20 Jul 2017 21:45:00 +00003 Top Ballet Companies Convene For The Golden Anniversary Of 'Jewels'Jeff LundenPulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee has been in the news a lot lately. Albee died in 2016 , and since then his estate has turned down a multi-racial production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and put his contemporary art collection up for auction for an estimated $9 million. Now The New York Times reports that his incomplete works may never see the light of day. The clause in Albee's will is pretty clear: "If at the time of my death I shall leave any incomplete manuscripts I hereby direct my executors to destroy such incomplete manuscripts." Albee's estate wouldn't comment on whether they've followed his orders, but the directive is very much in character — and Emily Mann isn't the least bit surprised. She's the artistic director of the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, N.J., and she worked with Albee on several plays. "He wanted to have authority over everything of his that was on the stage," she says. That meant casting, props and even the color of the set. Mann Playwright Edward Albee's Incomplete Works May Never See The Light Of Dayhttp://kanw.com/post/playwright-edward-albees-incomplete-works-may-never-see-light-day
90233 as http://kanw.comWed, 05 Jul 2017 21:52:00 +0000 Playwright Edward Albee's Incomplete Works May Never See The Light Of DayJeff LundenLillian Hellman's 1939 melodrama The Little Foxes has two great roles for actresses over the age of 40. Laura Linney and Cynthia Nixon fill those roles in a new revival on Broadway ... but with one big twist: Linney and Nixon play both roles and switch off at different performances. It started when Linney got a call from the Manhattan Theatre Club, asking her if she'd like to play Regina Giddens, the steely character at the center of The Little Foxes. Tallulah Bankhead introduced the role and it's been played by actresses from Bette Davis to Elizabeth Taylor. "Women don't get these parts very often," Linney says. "This is a great part." But she was also attracted to a smaller role in the play — Birdie, Regina's abused, alcoholic sister-in-law. "I had always loved Birdie. There was something about Birdie that I inherently understood," Linney says. So, Linney had an idea: What if she and her friend could find a way to share both roles? Nixon was more than game. "I mean, who does that?"2 Stars Share The Stage, And The Roles, In 'Little Foxes'http://kanw.com/post/two-stars-share-stage-and-roles-little-foxes
86979 as http://kanw.comMon, 24 Apr 2017 21:05:00 +00002 Stars Share The Stage, And The Roles, In 'Little Foxes'Jeff LundenCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: Tonight a musical adaptation of the popular film "Groundhog Day" opens on Broadway. It's the story of a cynical weatherman who's forced to relive the same day over and over again. You may remember Bill Murray's deadpan performance in the movie. While it makes for great comedy, Jeff Lunden tries to figure out if it sings. JEFF LUNDEN, BYLINE: Back in the early 1990s, Danny Rubin came up with a screenplay where a man gets caught in a time loop. It ended up in director Harold Ramus' hands, who passed it on to Bill Murray, and, well, the rest is history. (SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "GROUNDHOG DAY") BILL MURRAY: What would you do if you were stuck in one place, and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered? That about sums it up for me. LUNDEN: That scene with Murray at a bar with a couple of drunks has transferred intact to the musical. Andy Karl plays Phil, the egotistical, perplexed weatherman. ANDY KARL: And theComposer Tim Minchin Brings 'Groundhog Day' To Broadwayhttp://kanw.com/post/composer-tim-minchin-brings-groundhog-day-broadway
86668 as http://kanw.comMon, 17 Apr 2017 20:30:00 +0000Composer Tim Minchin Brings 'Groundhog Day' To BroadwayJeff LundenCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit SCOTT SIMON, HOST: The inauguration of President Trump is a couple weeks away, and his team has been scrambling to find performers. One group that signed on is the famous precision dancing troupe The Rockettes. And while they are known for synchronization onstage, cracks have begun to show in their ranks. Jeff Lunden sent this report. JEFF LUNDEN, BYLINE: When you see The Rockettes in person - thirty-six dancers of the same shape and height, all tapping and kicking in unison - it's thrilling. ROSEMARY NOVELLINO-MEARNS: The Rockettes are the most famous dancers in the United States of America. They are America. They are apple pie. LUNDEN: Rosemary Novellino-Mearns danced at Radio City, and she wrote a book about it. NOVELLINO-MEARNS: You may like them. You may not like them. That's not the point. They are what they are. LUNDEN: And dancing at presidential inaugurations has traditionally been part of the job, but this time is different. Some of TheSome Rockettes At Odds With Management Over Inauguration Performancehttp://kanw.com/post/some-rockettes-odds-management-over-inauguration-performance
82260 as http://kanw.comSat, 07 Jan 2017 13:08:00 +0000Some Rockettes At Odds With Management Over Inauguration PerformanceJeff LundenChristmas is coming, and soon TV screens everywhere will light up with that 1946 holiday classic, It's a Wonderful Life . But the same story is coming a little early to the stage of the Houston Grand Opera . That's right: An operatic version of George Bailey's struggle with life and death opens this Friday. Librettist Gene Scheer admits that adapting such a beloved movie has sometimes felt like a fool's errand. "It's almost secular scripture, this piece," he says. "Everyone knows all the lines." In the film and the opera, the story is the same. Both look at the life of George Bailey of Bedford Falls: his dreams, his love, his crushing disappointments which bring him to the brink of suicide. "In the end, it's really such an operatic story," Scheer says. Composer Jake Heggie says they had to put the iconic Frank Capra film as far behind them as they could. "You internalize the material: You love it, you memorize it, and then you forget about the original source," he says. The goal, heBringing A Christmas Classic To Wonderful Life — On Stagehttp://kanw.com/post/bringing-christmas-classic-wonderful-life-stage
80743 as http://kanw.comThu, 01 Dec 2016 23:25:00 +0000Bringing A Christmas Classic To Wonderful Life — On StageJeff LundenCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Prolific Conductor Neville Marriner Has Diedhttp://kanw.com/post/prolific-conductor-neville-marriner-has-died
78139 as http://kanw.comSun, 02 Oct 2016 21:07:00 +0000Prolific Conductor Neville Marriner Has DiedJeff LundenYou might not know Marni Nixon's name, but you've probably heard her. The singer dubbed the voices for Deborah Kerr in The King and I, Natalie Wood in West Side Story and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady — three of Hollywood's biggest movie musicals. Nixon died Sunday at 86 from complications from breast cancer. Nixon had a career that defied categorization. She performed on Broadway and in opera houses, hosted an Emmy Award-winning children's television show and was a well-regarded singing teacher in New York. She was a clue on Jeopardy! and in The New York Times crossword puzzle and was a question in Trivial Pursuit. Born in Southern California, Nixon became a sought-after singer by the time she was a teenager. She had perfect pitch and was able to read any piece of music handed to her, no matter how difficult. Nixon worked constantly, dubbing voices for Hollywood studios. In 1954, she got a call to ghost Deborah Kerr's voice in The King and I . Kerr understood she needed to be dubbed,'Ghost' Soprano Marni Nixon, Who Voiced Blockbuster Musicals, Dies At 86http://kanw.com/post/ghost-soprano-marni-nixon-who-voiced-blockbuster-musicals-dies-86
75063 as http://kanw.comMon, 25 Jul 2016 14:12:00 +0000'Ghost' Soprano Marni Nixon, Who Voiced Blockbuster Musicals, Dies At 86Jeff LundenYou often don't think of opera at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem. Tonight that changes: Charlie Parker's Yardbird gets its New York premiere there. It's an opera about the jazz saxophonist on the very stage where Parker played in his lifetime. The opera's Swiss-born composer Daniel Schnyder is a jazz saxophone player himself, who is also classically trained. He wants to combine his two favorite kinds of music. "These two things are far apart from each other," Schnyder says, "and a lot of people think that doesn't work together, but that's not true. It's actually a big chance to create something new." Schnyder was commissioned by Opera Philadelphia to compose a work for tenor Lawrence Brownlee , a rising star in the opera world who's made his reputation singing in the 19th-century bel canto style. "Bel canto is a kind of virtuoso art form," Schnyder says, "where you have to sing very fast and very high, and you have to have a very flexible voice. And then we had a meeting, and I metOpera And Jazz Mingle In 'Charlie Parker's Yardbird' http://kanw.com/post/opera-and-jazz-mingle-charlie-parkers-yardbird
70451 as http://kanw.comThu, 31 Mar 2016 21:27:00 +0000Opera And Jazz Mingle In 'Charlie Parker's Yardbird' Jeff LundenCopyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit Transcript ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: The smash hit Broadway musical "Hamilton" mixes hip-hop with American history and features a multiracial cast. A lot's been written about the founding fathers in the show - Hamilton, Washington, Jefferson and Aaron Burr among them. But for reporter Jeff Lunden, "The One That Got Away," a song about the founding mothers, is the emotional heart of the show. JEFF LUNDEN, BYLINE: I'll admit it - since the "Hamilton" cast album came out in September, it's been more or less in constant rotation on my iPhone. And one of the songs I frequently press not only play but repeat is "The Schuyler Sisters," the exuberant number that introduces three women, two of whom are going to fall madly in love with Alexander Hamilton, as they visit lower Manhattan in 1776. It's irresistible. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE SCHUYLER SISTERS") UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters, singing) Work, work. RENEE ELISE GOLDSBERRY: (As Angelica Schuyler,Song From Broadway Musical 'Hamilton' Celebrates Founding Mothershttp://kanw.com/post/song-broadway-musical-hamilton-celebrates-founding-mothers
66559 as http://kanw.comFri, 25 Dec 2015 21:12:00 +0000Song From Broadway Musical 'Hamilton' Celebrates Founding MothersJeff LundenCopyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit Transcript MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: We're going to spend the next few minutes reflecting on musical accomplishments. A bit later, we're going to talk about the revival of the hit musical "The Wiz." But first, a remembrance - conductor Kurt Masur died today of complications from Parkinson's disease. He was 88 years old. Masur led orchestras in Berlin, Leipzig and London. He's also known for reviving the New York Philharmonic. Jeff Lunden has this report. JEFF LUNDEN, BYLINE: He was one of the last of his kind - an old-world conductor who demanded complete authority on the podium and off. Barbara Haws is archivist of the New York Philharmonic, where Masur was music director from 1991 to 2002. BARBARA HAWS: So when he's on the podium - and conductors are always making decisions in split seconds - he took that very seriously. And there was no room for discussion, for argument, for another opinion, probably. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) LUNDEN: Kurt Masur was bornConductor Kurt Masur Dies At 88http://kanw.com/post/conductor-kurt-masur-dies-88
66365 as http://kanw.comSat, 19 Dec 2015 22:04:00 +0000Conductor Kurt Masur Dies At 88Jeff LundenTen years ago, Griffin Matthews was singing in a church choir when his pastor found out he was gay and kicked him out. Feeling depressed, he booked a ticket to Uganda for mission work. What happened next is the subject of Invisible Thread , a new off-Broadway musical co-written by Matthews and his life partner, Matt Gould. Matthews, a working New York actor, says he was quickly disillusioned after he arrived in Uganda and found out the man leading his volunteer organization was corrupt. "And so I had to figure out what I was going to do for the rest of my six weeks in Uganda," he says. "And so I walked down the road, tried to clear my head and I met a group of teenagers who stopped me and said mzungu , which means white person. So I got all the way across the world, as a black man, and to them I was a white person." The teenagers were all orphans, many because of the country's AIDS epidemic, and none of them had the money to pay for school. "I agreed to teach them in a library in the'Invisible Thread' Is More Than A Musical About Ugandahttp://kanw.com/post/invisible-thread-more-musical-about-uganda
65664 as http://kanw.comWed, 02 Dec 2015 22:55:00 +0000'Invisible Thread' Is More Than A Musical About UgandaJeff LundenBy now, you may have heard about the new Broadway musical Hamilton . When it opened off-Broadway in February, it earned almost unanimous raves and awards for blending history and hip-hop. Its sold-out run had A-list celebrities and politicians clamoring for tickets. Thursday night, the story of Alexander Hamilton, and the Founding Fathers and Mothers, opened on Broadway. Most people in the business expected Hamilton to move immediately from the Public Theater to Broadway, win a bunch of Tony Awards and be a big hit . Except writer and star Lin-Manuel Miranda and the rest of the creative staff felt the show still needed work. So they stayed put. "And thank God we did," says Miranda, "because we left the Public with four months of audience information, as opposed to three weeks. So, that's just more data, that's just more viscerally, 'cause I get to experience it onstage, so I viscerally know what works, and when I'm losing [the audience] and when I have them back. And there is noA Hip-Hop Soundtrack For A Musical About Alexander Hamilton? Sure, Why Not?http://kanw.com/post/now-broadway-hip-hop-tale-bastard-who-became-founding-father
61139 as http://kanw.comThu, 06 Aug 2015 20:07:00 +0000A Hip-Hop Soundtrack For A Musical About Alexander Hamilton? Sure, Why Not?Jeff LundenCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: Broadway has been having a boom. The past year has brought record attendance and the best ticket sales ever. That provided a nice backdrop for the Tony Awards last night. Reporter Jeff Lunden brings us all the big winners. JEFF LUNDEN, BYLINE: A chamber musical about a lesbian's coming out and a play about an autistic teenager were the big winners of the night. Best musical went to "Fun Home," based on cartoonist Alison Bechdel's memoir. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSICAL, "FUN HOME") BETH MALONE: (As Alison) Caption - my dad and I grow both grew up in the same small Pennsylvania town. MICHAEL CERVERIS: (As Bruce) Well... MALONE: (As Alison) And I didn't know it, but both of us were gay. CERVERIS: (As Bruce) Where's your barrette? MALONE: (As Alison) And we were exactly alike. CERVERIS: (As Bruce) Put it back in - keeps the hair out of your eyes. SYDNEY LUCAS: (As Small Alison) So would a crew cut. MALONE: (As Alison) And we were nothing'Fun Home,' 'Curious Incident' Take Home Top Tony Honorshttp://kanw.com/post/fun-home-curious-incident-take-home-top-tony-honors
58779 as http://kanw.comMon, 08 Jun 2015 12:12:00 +0000'Fun Home,' 'Curious Incident' Take Home Top Tony HonorsJeff LundenBroadway is New York's biggest tourist attraction and brought in $1.3 billion in ticket sales last season. But it's also a high-stakes gamble for producers, since only 1 in 4 Broadway shows turns a profit. This month, two of the fall's most highly anticipated musicals, a revival of Side Show and The Last Ship , with songs by Sting, have thrown in the towel — closing, having lost almost their entire investments. Entertainment reporter and theater critic Jeremy Gerard of Deadline has been covering Broadway for decades. "If there's one thing I've learned in 30-odd years of covering this industry," he says, "it is this golden rule: You cannot make people see a show that they don't want to see." One of the shows they apparently didn't want to see was Side Show , an $8 million revival of a cult musical that bombed on Broadway in its original run in 1997. It tells the true story of Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins who go from a freak show to vaudeville and try, unsuccessfully, to findHow Broadway Is Losing Its 'Middle Ground'http://kanw.com/post/how-broadway-losing-its-middle-ground
53277 as http://kanw.comTue, 20 Jan 2015 22:05:00 +0000How Broadway Is Losing Its 'Middle Ground'Jeff LundenPeter Brook is truly the grand old man of world theater. He became famous with his productions at the Royal Shakespeare Company in the early 1960s; wrote the seminal theater text The Empty Space ; and started the International Centre for Theatre Research in Paris, where he developed such plays as the nine-hour adaptation of the Sanskrit epic, The Mahabharata . Now, at the age of 89, Brook has brought his company to Brooklyn with a new play all about the mysteries of the human brain. Brook may move a little slowly these days, but his fierce intellect and curiosity are very much intact. He calls his rehearsal process an "investigation," whether it's a work by William Shakespeare, or a new play. "Gradually, one comes to works which in their own right investigate so many aspects of human behavior: social, personal, intimate. I mean, it's the whole of [the] world that can be reflected. Shakespeare said it's holding a mirror up to nature. And nature is human nature and the natural processes Seeing Neurological Patients As Characters, Not Case Studieshttp://kanw.com/post/seeing-neurological-patients-characters-not-case-studies
49172 as http://kanw.comSun, 05 Oct 2014 17:51:00 +0000Seeing Neurological Patients As Characters, Not Case StudiesJeff LundenSometimes good things come in small packages. Nonesuch Records, which started as a tiny independent budget classical label in 1964, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with three weeks of concerts at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The label became a force in the recording industry by pioneering electronic music and world music, launching the ragtime revival and becoming a place where contemporary classical composers had a home. Now an industry powerhouse, Nonesuch still operates like an independent record company. Tucked in a corner of the Manhattan office tower that houses the giant conglomerate Warner Music Group, the 13 staffers who run Nonesuch quietly release about 25 albums a year. Robert Hurwitz has been leading the company for 30 of its 50 years. He says when he got the job, he knew it was the opportunity of a lifetime. "I recognized that if I was going to fail," Hurwitz says, "I wanted to fail on my own terms, which was I wanted to fail not because I took a safe way and didNonesuch At 50: A Record Label Without Bordershttp://kanw.com/post/nonesuch-50-record-label-without-borders
48309 as http://kanw.comWed, 10 Sep 2014 21:55:00 +0000Nonesuch At 50: A Record Label Without Borders